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Rule Golden Hour

Golden Hour Forecast for White Sands, US Southwest

Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States

White Sands presents repeating gypsum dunes, wind-carved ripples and sparse yucca, with low light defining curves and blue-hour shadows.

Currently

Real-time conditions
Low Cloud Cover0%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover17%
Sun Elevation1.0° (Golden hour)

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in America/Denver
golden-hour weather icon
Next opportunity
Excellent Golden Hour at Sunrise
White Sands
Tomorrow · 05:56–06:00 · 1h window
Medium confidence
61%
🌇Golden Hour Potential80.4%
Low Cloud Cover: 0%
Mid Cloud Cover: 0%
High Cloud Cover: 75%
Sun Elevation: -14.3° (Astronomical twilight)
golden-hour weather icon
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunrise
White Sands
Mon, Jul 27 · 05:57–06:48
🌇Golden Hour Potential:94.9-96.3%
Medium
golden-hour weather icon
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunset
White Sands
Mon, Jul 27 · 19:32–20:00
🌇Golden Hour Potential:90.1%
Medium
golden-hour weather icon
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunrise
White Sands
Tue, Jul 28 · 05:57–06:49
🌇Golden Hour Potential:92.9-95%
Medium
golden-hour weather icon
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunrise
White Sands
Wed, Jul 29 · 05:58–06:49
🌇Golden Hour Potential:94-94.6%
Medium
golden-hour weather icon
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunrise
White Sands
Mon, Aug 3 · 06:02–06:52
🌇Golden Hour Potential:91.9%
Medium

How this forecast is evaluated

See which weather signals PhotoWeather uses to identify Golden Hour conditions across US Southwest. The requirements and hourly values below show how those signals apply at White Sands.

Explore Golden Hour conditions across US Southwest →

Recorded match history

Completed PhotoWeather forecast matches recorded for this exact rule at White Sands during the last 365 days.

Last 30 days
16
recorded matching windows · 79% average confidence
Last 90 days
53
recorded matching windows · 74% average confidence
Last 365 days
128
recorded matching windows · 78% average confidence
Most frequent recorded start hour

06:00 local time, shared by 66 of 128 matches recorded in the last 365 days.

Most represented month

March, with 26 of 128 matches recorded in the last 365 days.

These figures use completed PhotoWeather MatchEvent records from the previous 365 days only. They describe recorded forecast matches, not observations, climatological probability, or a guarantee of future conditions.

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92-hour requirements breakdown

When available, the detailed table below covers only the stated 92-hour horizon (typically 72–168 hours, depending on available hourly data). Opportunity records above span the next 14 days, so this table does not explain that entire 14-day period.

What passed or failed, hour by hour
8matching hours in the next 92 hoursJump to next match
AND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
America/Denver
Golden Hour
Any
Golden Hour Potential
≥ 80.0%
Precipitation Chance
≤ 5.0%
Visibility
≥ 1000.0m
Fri, Jul 24
23:0029%38%24134m
Sat, Jul 25
24:0026%37%24134m
01:0028%0%24134m
02:0029%0%24134m
03:0027%0%24134m
04:0029%0%24135m
05:0088%0%24135m
06:0099%0%24134m
07:0026%10%24134m
08:0028%37%24134m
09:0028%56%24134m
10:0030%49%24134m
11:0025%41%24135m
12:0027%34%24135m
13:0027%28%24134m
14:0026%26%24135m
15:0026%24%16479m
16:0029%34%18171m
17:0024%44%24134m
18:0023%54%24135m
19:0093%49%24134m
20:0095%43%24135m
21:0026%38%24135m
22:0026%37%24135m
23:0027%37%24135m
Sun, Jul 26
24:0027%37%24134m
01:0027%25%24134m
02:0027%12%24135m
03:0027%0%24135m
04:0029%0%24134m
05:0080%0%24134m
06:0075%0%24134m
07:0029%0%24134m
08:0032%0%24135m
09:0029%0%24135m
10:0026%0%24135m
11:0027%0%24135m
12:0027%0%24134m
13:0027%3.3%24134m
14:0027%6.7%24134m
15:0023%10%24135m
16:0023%6.7%24134m
17:0023%3.3%24135m
18:0023%0%24134m
19:0064%0%24135m
20:0066%0%24135m
21:0020%0%24135m
22:0022%0%24134m
23:0025%0%24134m
Mon, Jul 27
24:0023%0%24134m
01:0023%0%24135m
02:0024%0%24135m
03:0023%0%24135m
04:0026%0%24134m
05:0096%0%24135m
06:0095%0%24134m
07:0029%0%24135m
08:0027%0%24135m
09:0026%0%24134m
10:0027%0%24135m
11:0025%0%24134m
12:0027%0%24135m
13:0027%0%24134m
14:0026%0%24134m
15:0026%0%24134m
16:0026%0%14248m
17:0025%0%15268m
18:0023%0%24135m
19:0090%0%24134m
20:0069%0%24134m
21:0023%0%24135m
22:0024%0%24134m
23:0024%0%24135m
Tue, Jul 28
24:0025%0%24134m
01:0026%0%24134m
02:0027%0%24135m
03:0029%0%24135m
04:0029%0%24135m
05:0095%0%24135m
06:0093%0%24135m
07:000%0%24135m
08:000%0%24135m
09:000%0%24135m
10:000%5.6%24135m
11:000%11%24135m
12:000%17%24135m
13:000%19%24135m
14:000%20%24135m
15:000%22%24135m
16:000%28%24135m
17:000%33%24135m
18:000%39%24135m
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

What does Golden Hour Potential mean?

Inputs that drive the score

This derived score summarizes multiple raw weather signals. The table below shows the supporting inputs hour by hour, so you can see what's pushing the score up or down.

Time
America/Denver
Golden Hour
High Clouds
%
Low Clouds
%
Mid-Level Clouds
%
Relative Humidity
%
Solar Elevation
°
Total Cloud Coverage
%
Wind Speed
m/s
Sat, Jul 25 Sunrise 06:13 Sunset 20:06
20:00
- 17% 0% 0% 42% 17% 3.3m/s
21:00
- 100% 0% 1% 42% -11° 100% 3.3m/s
22:00
- 100% 0% 8% 43% -21° 100% 3m/s
23:00
- 100% 0% 3% 45% -29° 100% 2m/s
Sun, Jul 26 Sunrise 06:13 Sunset 20:06
24:00
- 100% 0% 2% 46% -35° 100% 2.2m/s
01:00
- 34% 0% 0% 45% -38° 34% 2.9m/s
02:00
- 100% 0% 30% 44% -36° 100% 2m/s
03:00
- 40% 0% 2% 44% -32° 40% 1.7m/s
04:00
- 80% 0% 0% 45% -24° 80% 1.5m/s
05:00
- 75% 0% 0% 43% -14° 75% 2.2m/s
06:00
- 100% 0% 0% 43% -3.3° 100% 3.1m/s
07:00
- 100% 0% 0% 43% 8.4° 100% 3.5m/s
08:00
- 37% 0% 0% 38% 21° 37% 0.94m/s
09:00
- 5% 0% 0% 35% 33° 5% 2.3m/s
10:00
- 2% 0% 0% 34% 46° 2% 2m/s
11:00
- 5% 0% 1% 31% 58° 5% 1.9m/s
12:00
- 2% 0% 1% 28% 69° 2% 2.4m/s
13:00
- 2% 1% 23% 26% 76° 23% 3.2m/s
14:00
- 6% 1% 36% 24% 72° 36% 3.5m/s
15:00
- 83% 2% 36% 26% 62° 83% 3.6m/s
16:00
- 100% 2% 37% 27% 50° 100% 4.8m/s
17:00
- 100% 0% 92% 28% 37° 100% 5.3m/s
18:00
- 37% 0% 100% 30% 25° 100% 5.3m/s
19:00
- 10% 0% 100% 31% 12° 100% 4.8m/s
20:00
- 2% 0% 84% 30% 0.91° 84% 3.7m/s
21:00
- 0% 0% 22% 31% -11° 22% 2.7m/s
22:00
- 0% 0% 4% 33% -21° 4% 2.4m/s
23:00
- 0% 0% 76% 35% -29° 76% 1.7m/s
Mon, Jul 27 Sunrise 06:14 Sunset 20:05
24:00
- 0% 0% 35% 33% -35° 35% 2.7m/s
01:00
- 0% 0% 29% 35% -38° 29% 2.6m/s
02:00
- 0% 0% 27% 36% -37° 27% 2.3m/s
03:00
- 0% 0% 13% 37% -32° 13% 2.3m/s
04:00
- 0% 0% 1% 38% -24° 1% 2.4m/s
05:00
- 0% 0% 0% 38% -14° 0% 2.7m/s
06:00
- 0% 0% 0% 39% -3.4° 0% 2.3m/s
07:00
- 5% 0% 0% 39% 8.3° 5% 1.6m/s
08:00
- 5% 0% 0% 34% 20° 5% 0.89m/s
09:00
- 7% 0% 0% 31% 33° 7% 1.3m/s
10:00
- 5% 0% 0% 29% 45° 5% 2.1m/s
11:00
- 4% 0% 0% 27% 58° 4% 2.4m/s
12:00
- 0% 0% 0% 25% 69° 0% 2.8m/s
13:00
- 5% 0% 0% 23% 76° 5% 3.3m/s
14:00
- 79% 0% 0% 22% 72° 79% 4.1m/s
15:00
- 100% 0% 36% 20% 62° 100% 3.4m/s
16:00
- 100% 0% 74% 21% 50° 100% 1.8m/s
17:00
- 97% 0% 20% 25% 37° 97% 3.3m/s
18:00
- 44% 0% 2% 24% 25° 44% 3.1m/s
19:00
- 52% 0% 3% 24% 12° 52% 2.5m/s
20:00
- 97% 0% 12% 28% 0.8° 97% 2.9m/s
21:00
- 0% 0% 48% 29% -11° 48% 4.3m/s
22:00
- 0% 0% 16% 31% -21° 16% 4.2m/s
23:00
- 0% 0% 56% 32% -29° 56% 4.1m/s
Tue, Jul 28 Sunrise 06:15 Sunset 20:05
24:00
- 0% 0% 18% 36% -35° 18% 3.9m/s
01:00
- 4% 0% 12% 33% -38° 16% 3.1m/s
02:00
- 9% 0% 6% 31% -37° 15% 2.3m/s
03:00
- 13% 0% 0% 29% -32° 13% 1.5m/s
04:00
- 9% 0% 0% 27% -24° 9% 2.6m/s
05:00
- 4% 0% 0% 25% -15° 4% 3.6m/s
06:00
- 0% 0% 0% 23% -3.6° 0% 4.7m/s
07:00
- 1% 0% 9% 23% 8.2° 9% 4.7m/s
08:00
- 2% 0% 18% 22% 20° 18% 4.7m/s
09:00
- 3% 0% 27% 22% 33° 27% 4.8m/s
10:00
- 4% 0% 47% 25% 45° 47% 4.2m/s
11:00
- 6% 0% 68% 28% 58° 68% 3.7m/s
12:00
- 7% 0% 89% 31% 69° 89% 3.2m/s
13:00
- 12% 0% 88% 31% 76° 88% 3.5m/s
14:00
- 16% 0% 87% 32% 72° 87% 3.8m/s
15:00
- 21% 0% 86% 32% 62° 86% 4.2m/s
16:00
- 16% 0% 58% 35% 50° 59% 3.7m/s
17:00
- 10% 0% 31% 37% 37° 32% 3.2m/s
18:00
- 5% 0% 4% 40% 25° 5% 2.7m/s
19:00
- 5% 0% 3% 40% 12° 5% 2.3m/s
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

How this forecast is made

Opportunities are threshold-based signals: PhotoWeather checks whether forecast conditions match the rules for a photography scenario. They are planning guidance, not guarantees. Forecasts can change as new model runs arrive, and confidence generally decreases farther into the forecast horizon, so recheck conditions before travelling.

The weather forecast foundation comes through Open-Meteo , which aggregates models from weather agencies. PhotoWeather applies condition-specific thresholds and derived calculations; not every condition uses every model or data input.

Forecast generated

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